Speak, for I'm Calling discontinued
by 99writtenwords
Summary: Mai is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Her mother is to marry the Firelord. With only a blade to comfort her and the stay of a very handsome, Prince Zuko, Mai can only hope to be cured forever. RE-EDITING re-publishing past chapters.
1. Prelude to Memoirs

**Memories – Within Temptation**

_The Ling Estate, Fire Nation_

水水水水水水

The drips of water persisted through the mouth of the sink's pipe, creating an _irking_ momentum to my already _irked_ temper. Is this what life is? Lying down under the moon's eye and anticipating the conclusion of that drip-drip sound coming from the kitchen's pipe? My eyes drew back in exasperation as I fingered with the hem of my nightgown.

I never gave much thought about my life…or the people who were in it. Had the cause not been due to my Father's crucial death last spring, I would have thought otherwise. Father had been a loyal man who carried out the duties of his nation. The Firelord had known that…He had also known about his woman - my mother…if that's the correct word to describe her.

From the plotted death of my Father, who without argument was purposely attacked unarmed in the midst of the battle between the Northern Isles and the Southern Isles war…From then, the Firelord had proposed my Father to take a forefront stance in the battle…and he had.

The soft, short breaths I once possessed were now ones that drew out heavy and low. My head tilted back against the cold, stiff pillows as I placed a finger to my lips. The slim curves of my lips were now swollen and cracked, due to my unattended care towards them. When I cried the two days after my Father's death, my mother had slapped me. She told me it was evil to mourn for those in the Spirit World. Yet I could not stop, so my cries ached from the insides of this bedroom, echoing through the night as desperate screams of despair spitting into the dark pits of my mother's soul. She had made way to the entry of my bedroom, a small dagger in her hand and a fury that refused to melt when she slashed the blade against my face. From that day, I had vowed myself to shield my lips from the heartless contempt's of others and allowed that same blade my mother forayed me with as the only comfort to my restless soul.

The time read two lighthours and fifteen sparks - it was a new morn. A new morning that consisted of the callous trials of attending Royal Academia of Fire, as a bored mundane junior student, with no interest in public reputation or any likings to a tainted princess of wretched virtue. In four weeks' time, the Firelord – Azula's father- and my Mother was to success a marriage that would never work. I'd be locked in the gates of a vast room, tied to a bedpost of my bed and allowing vehement fire to engulf me in a tease…at least that is how I would feel inside. However, Azula was quite shameless to admit that she paid no heed to this marriage and was quite enthralled by the whole idea, anyways.

Azula was vivaciously cruel and gritty – just like her Father. Despite her awful ways, she did have a face to contradict them. Azula was prone to tying her hair in a male inspired top-knot or wearing the newest war armour in the _warfare_ industry. Despite the nasty knots between us, we still were lost among the rest our age.

My body rolled to the side, facing myself with the mirror before me. My eyes had deep shadows and tear ducts that were highlighted against my pale skin. I had golden eyes that curved into widened slits that tore into the cognizant knowing of others. The form I possessed was left of only bone and skin, leaving everything else fairly skinny and flat. The raven hair rolled off my shoulders, down my back in straight waves. Had I simply snipped one inch of my hair, my mother would burn me alive – literally.

I rolled to the other side, missing my Mother's dagger by a mere inch. Gently, I allowed a slim finger to graze over the sharp edge of the vane. How I longed to go to sleep…lulled by the sound of blood rushing to fill its loss as my heart thumped slowly into a deadly pace. How I truly longed to feel peaceful again…I allowed my hand to curl around the blade.


	2. You'd Better Run

**I Found a Reason – Cat Power **

_The Palace City, Fire Nation _烈火國

**火火火火火火火火火**

I tipped my head back to gaze at the sun above me. It shone too bright for one's eye to behold. My pupils searched through the sun's rays as a burning sensation began to reach my eyes. Any of this would be better than listening to Azula's self-centred voice ramble on the topic of her brother's visit to the Fire Nation.

"From my view, it cannot be possible for him to truly believe that he'll become Firelord now. He wasn't even raised or taught the ways of a prince – I'd actually hope him to consider he as a false prince. That peasant mother of ours took him to live with our uncle, in _their_ palace on Ember Island," she exhaled as a finger twirled at her loose ponytail hanging from an intricate topknot. "And he's not even fit for a kingdom as mighty as the Fire Nation. He hardly knows the culture or history."

My tongue dawdled between my teeth in an attempt at removing the leavings of fire gummies. Two small hands came over my eyes, shielding me from Azula's overwrought expression. I brought my body forward to the ground, to reveal the owner of these small hands.

He chuckled at his victory and exclaimed, "Ha! Ha! Got you sister…Oh, Mai, Mother wishes to speak to us at dinner tonight. You want to come with me?" the youthful voice of my brother asked as a sigh flew from my mouth and I pushed myself off the ground.

Azula rolled her eyes, standing to her feet as she ordered a wearied maid to retrieve her belongings. "Lucky you, you're not the one who has to deal with this failure of a prince. He's to be at the palace at sundown – the dreadful hour," stated Azula as she stepped into an elaborate carriage.

Tommy silently waved a goodbye as the carriage rolled away, before joining me in a walk towards the direction of the palace. We lived across from the palace, but Azula could hardly care about sharing her accessories. "What do you gather that mother wishes to speak about tonight?" Tommy asked anxiously, his short legs moving rapidly in an effort at keeping my pace.

A shrug was my response as a grimace deepened on my solid face.

"You don't know? How do you not know? You're a big girl!" exclaimed Tommy, his hands reaching above his shoulders in emphasis. I shot him a questioning glance. "Okay, never mind."

The door to the grand estate inched closer into view, as did the palace which stood across from it. A white carriage was parked next to the carriage of Azula's possession, as a man in beige uniform stood outside it. Was this her brother? He looked awfully old to take the role of the next Firelord. My mind focused back to the door which was now inches away from me.

"You going to knock Mai, or do you want me to? Okay, I will!" Tommy said as his hand pounded on the door as if it was a set of drums. Mother hated that, he ought to know. The door swung open and Tommy's fist reached midair as he cringed at our Mother's irritated appearance.

"Inside!" she demanded between clenched teeth as the door slammed behind her. Tommy and I knew the worst was to come in Mother's state right now, so we quickened our steps towards our rooms. "Both of you come here. Disrespect has overruled you well."

Tommy's breathing hastened as we both turned back to Mother's hesitant control. Her hand wrapped it's self around the structure of my jaw as she pulled me forward. "Respect, have you lost? Time hast not time to waste, yet you waste anyhow?" she inquired as her grip fell loose. "Tommy, bring my dagger."

"Yes, Mother," Tommy replied as he bowed deep before scrambling up the staircase. She turned her focus to me and took hold of my arm, dragging me into the dining room. Her gaze held mine as I hung my head low to avoid her stare.

"You realize the expectations Mai, don't you? If so, then you realize the grace in which you must pose as royalty," she paused as one tip of her finger lifted my gaze. "Good. Then I see no reason to delay these expectations, Mai. No man will ever want you if you continue this charade. No gloss of paint, no persona, not a drop of desire for marriage! I don't have children to leave me poor."

_To marry the Firelord is to leave you poor? _I thought.

"You see, I like the princess. She holds character and everything that you don't possess at all. It disgusts me. Anyways, we leave for the palace tonight. I wish no longer to be breathing in this dreadful estate," she said, just as Tommy walked in with a gold dagger in his left.

Her gaze fell on Tommy as she smoothed his hair flat, "Good boy. Now go, pack for our leave to the palace," directed Mother as she placed the scalpel in her cloak and walked out the door.

I stood hesitantly, as the squeal of the dining room's door sustained after Tommy's dismiss and the ancient clock ticked abusively against the silence. I would see this room no more? The day has come for us to move into the palace? My gaze sharpened as one center finger of my right hand stuck high at the ceiling, between the sun and I.

Slowly, my finger drew down from its height and I sauntered drearily up the staircase towards my room. I opened the door to the room which held my most treasurable and _un_treasurable memories. This room told a fable of my being and my strife. Of all I had of it, would be lost. Suddenly, the longing to see my room vanished as I shut the door angrily behind me. I would not see it again; therefore I need not of anything from it. The soles of my feet pounded against the stairs hastily as I stumbled off the last step and raced out the grand door of this manor.

In a carriage, Mother sat with Tommy impatiently, a cold glare penetrating through my glassy blank stare as I hastened my steps towards her. My legs scrambled onto a seat as the carriage began to move towards the Fire Nation palace. I rested my head against a crimson velvet cushion and closed my eyes in submission. The pace of my heart beat to an irregular rhythm - quick to slow- a reminder as to how weak I had grown over these past few years. My body was failing me and each day, it took one step closer to surrender into eternal darkness. The thought of a raspy corpse of me lying immobile and insipid, continued to question my innermost morals on death. The carriage made an abrupt stop and I indolently opened my eyes. Mother clutched onto Tommy's arm and pulled him out of the carriage aside her. I followed after in silence as my eyes dawdled over the solid ground. From the ground, my eyes raised higher to behold the daunting palace of the Fire Nation.

Our feet pounded noiselessly against a taupe carpet that led to the palace's entrance. On either side of the extensive carpet adorned two grand fountains, lights of fire illuminating the water's beauty which poured endlessly from the fountains opening. Around the fountains were patches of displaced grass that gave an interesting contrast against the gushing waters. The outside beauty didn't dare to end at that, as the looming towers, and elongated walls that bordered hidden hallways of the palace created an elaborate design of the palace in whole. Bricks piled high upon each other as lights of fire interfaced each edge of the palace. The arched windows spaced evenly between the bricks, displaying irradiated rooms where subjects or princes habituated during the night. It had been a good few weeks since I was forced to view the palace's magnificence. All of it stood distasteful to me as I realized I'd be next to habituate in said rooms.

At the palace's entrance, the guards took recognition of who we were and bowed respectively. We walked through the entrance and into the colossal atrium. A servant rushed forward and led us through the stone halls, bordered with floor-to-ceiling paintings of historical passages. Mother stated that we were to dine with the Firelord's family tonight, which ensued in my subjection to the dread of Azula's brother.

Two double doors came closer into view as the servant stopped and bowed deeply before meandering away. The guards pushed the double doors open and we entered solemnly, bowing before the Firelord's presence. A long table draped in burgundy silks was filled with an assortment of Fire Nation dishes. A strong whiff of roast duck raced my unknown hunger to an unsatisfied desire as Mother was the first to sit – aside the Firelord – followed by Tommy beside Mother, leaving the last available seat beside Azula. I sat unobtrusively in the chair as the dining began and I brought a piece of roast duck to my lips.

During the feasting, my ears perked at a new conversation being conversed. Azula charmed into the conversation at ease and I realized the topic was her brother, Prince Zuko. Slowly, my gaze lifted from the roast duck on my plate to the man sitting across from me. He brought a glass of wine to his lips, as his eyes bored into mine from behind his glass. His silence had left me to believe the prince had decided to dismiss the dinner. His jaw was taut with his cautious composure. A deep scar shaped the curve of his left eye as his golden eyes stayed fixed, raw of any emotion. He was robed in loose clothes of deep reds, and his wrists were cuffed with a band of gold, which etched his royal status and the Fire Nation insignia. The conversation was about him, yet they didn't make any haste to actually talk to him. He seemed to acknowledge this too as he bit into a starchy bun, his piercing glare not inching away from mine.

**火火火火火火火火火**

Mother had quickly escorted Tommy and I to our _new_ chambers, a room for us to inhabit in. The room I had been escorted to was painted oddly, in a nauseating avocado green. The ceiling's core met at the room's peak, where a candelabrum hung from its metallic wiring. The room had five unnecessary windows with drapes of pink. A wooden chair, cushioned on its seat, was placed uprightly beside the daunting bed. The bed's sheets were of shades of brown and gold, a transparent canopy shielding over the bed. It was beautiful. It was the perfect room for a palace…for a princess, but not for me. The pain of being forced to run away from ancient memoirs was overly burdening and cruel. My knees weakened to a stoop as my hand caressed the bed's soft fabrics. Mother's voice sounded through my head as I pressed my cheek to the fabric: _No gloss of paint, no persona, not a drop of desire for marriage!_

Mother expected me to care about how I looked, yet I didn't. I was already dying, why make the effort to look noticeable now? A noise sounded at the door, the sound of a door being pushed open. The limbs of my body froze; the slits of my eyes slightly widening, as I remained bent, up against the bed. My hand shook faintly, as footsteps taunted against the glassy floors and a composed voice sounded through the room.

"You know, I find it quite strange. After all these years, you'd expect almost _anything_ to have changed. Maybe Father had invested in a new rabbaroo or an elephant rat. But to find such a specimen, such peasants roaming in my home, my palace – it becomes quite amusing. And, _oh_, great Spirits, who would have thought, that such peasants, were to enter the dreadfully entertaining _family_ of fire. The next time you see your Mother, tell her what a fool she has become to marry the Firelord," he said, his voice tinted with a fascinating flippancy. His footsteps came to a stop beside me, as he bent low, a mere inch away from my face. "Look at me," he demanded as I lifted my head from the bed's sheets and turned to face him. "You see this scar. That's the price of being in this family. If you're willing to pay that price, then so be it. But if you're not, I'd run. I'd run away from this miscreation. I'd run away from me."

The temperature in the room decreased drastically as I gaped, allowing a distinct emotion to reveal over my face. I had never been so afraid and aroused in all my life. A mere inch away from him, his face wasn't as perfect as I would have thought earlier. Dark shadows rested under his eyes and sweat stuck his hair to his neck.

He cocked his head, his eyes holding faint curiosity. "You don't talk much," he observed. "Well, then it's great you have me. I talk too much. Some would say I lacked a filter." He leaned closer, his forehead nearly touching mine, as he smelt me, like a Shirshu. "Lavender? Jasmine? Both are lovely scents. Ah, so now. How are we to end this marriage?" He waited five sparks for me to respond, but I didn't. He stood to his feet with a sigh and suggested, "Another time, then."

The door locked behind him with a thud as I bit on my lip, vaguely confused. I lay my head back against the bed's sheets, my feet resting on the ground as I closed my eyes.

**火火火火火火火火火**

**Author's Note: **This chapter was modified on 02/08/10. I took out a good four hundred words from this chapter, just goes to show how useless some content is. This is the first chapter, where the main characters are introduced. For some of you who aren't too familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender's fauna or cuisine, here are some notes:

**Roast Duck:** seasoned duck which is roasted and cut into bite-sized pieces.

**Buns**: well, it's made from flour, starchy stuff.

**Fire** **Gummies:** spicy gummies.

**Rabbaroo:** the offspring of rabbit and kangaroo.

**Elephant Rat:** the offspring of elephant and rat.

**Note:** Please go to my profile for more story references on Speak, for I'm Calling. Pictures of what her room, the palace, Mai's clothes and more, can be found in my profile. I'll post this note in any chapter that has useful story references available.

_**Review for more chapters and a sneak preview at the next. **_


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